For although a man is judged by his actions, by what he has said and done, a man judges himself by what he is willing to do, by what he might have said, or might have done – a judgment that is necessarily hampered, not only by scope and limits of his imagination, but by the ever-changing measure of his doubt and self-esteem.
– The Luminaries
One of my goals for 2017 was to read more classics. As such, I re-read The Power and the Glory, an amazing classic that I read several years ago but so many things in it felt like I was reading it for the first time. I’ve also (finally) begun to tackle The Silmarillion. I think my dad will be proud of me.
And, as always, I want to read more from my own library (Meaning read some of the stacks of books that I already own but have not yet read.) 84, Charing Cross Road, Rules of Civility, The Luminaries, Purple Hibiscus, and The Painted Girls all fit into that category.
I managed a couple of book reviews (titles are linked) but hope to do better in February. Feel free to share your favourite reads of the month in the comments!
Read:
- 84, Charing Cross Road – Helene Hanff (Penguin Books, 1970)
- The War that Saved my Life – Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (Penguin Books, 2015)
- Rules of Civility – Amor Towles (Penguin Books, 2011)
- Your Heart is the Size of Your Fist – Martina Scholtens (Brindle & Glass, 2017)
- The Luminaries – Eleanor Catton (McClelland & Stewart, 2013)
- The Power and the Glory – Graham Greene (Penguin Books, 1979)
- Purple Hibiscus – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2012)
- The Painted Girls – Cathy Marie Buchanan (Harper Collins, 2012
There was silence all round him. This place was very like the world: overcrowded with lust and crime and unhappy love, it stank to heaven; but he realized that after all it was possible to find peace there, when you knew for certain that the time was short.
– The Power and the Glory
Currently Reading:
- Rest, Play, Grow – Deborah MacNamara
- The Silmarillion – J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Hut Builder – Laurence Fearnley
But Ilúvatar knew that Men, being set amid the turmoils of the powers of the world, would stray often, and would not use their gifts in harmony; and he said: “These too in their time shall find that all that they do redounds at the end only to the glory of my work.”
– The Silmarillion
*Friendly reminder that you can follow me on Instagram @karissareadsbooks if you’re into that sort of thing. Mostly pictures of what I’m reading as I’m reading and my kids.
Karissa Reads Books 